The Red Ride Tour Returns

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What started as a two-artist tour five years ago has grown into a near touring festival of 12 of the hottest names in Indigenous music.

When musicians Kristi Lane Sinclair and Cris Derksen first conceived of the Red Ride Tour, they didn’t think they'd be organizing their fifth one with a lineup of 12 Indigenous artists popping up at different dates across Canada and, for the first time this year, the US. Not only that, but Sinclair is pulling this off while finishing her new album, and filming a six-part TV series about her musical journey for APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)!

“It is dizzyingly awesome!”, exclaims Sinclair. “It feels so great to have so many projects coming together simultaneously”, she adds.

A wide range of genres is spanned by the artists joining the tour, including Tlingit/Aleut artist and musician Silver Jackson, rising folk singer Nick Sherman, Cree/Métis singer-songwriter Christa Couture, Sto:lo Territory hip-hop artist Ron Dean Harris (aka Ostwelve), Saskatchewan trio The Snake Oil Salesmen, Dene musician Jay Gilday, Curve Lake First Nation singer-songwriter Sean Conway,  Inuk singer Beatrice Dear, and young up-and-coming talents Binaeshee-Que Couchie-Nabigon and Sonia Eidse.

“This is our fifth year in a row taking indigenous acts on the road across Canada, and each year it grows,” says Sinclair. “It started out as just Cris and I, in my little Chevy Optra hatchback, driving across Canada, playing live music venues,” she explains. “And now this year, we have acts... huge acts... and a massive North American Tour!".

“We’re trying to get so many artists to so many places. It’s more like a touring festival than a normal tour,” said Sinclair.

“The outcome is going to be amazing and you’re not going to want to miss it.”

We agree. Hit play on the Red Ride Tour playlist and check out the full dates below.

Tour dates:

May 13 - Fairview Pub, Vancouver, BC (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Ostwelve) May 15 – Wine-Ohs, Calgary, AB (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair) May 16 - Empress Pub, Edmonton, AB (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Jay Gilday) May 19 - Indian Metis Friendship Centre, Prince Albert, SK (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair) May 20 - Vangelis Tavern, Saskatoon, SK (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair) May 21 – The Artful Dodger, Regina, SK (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair, The Snake Oil Salesmen) May 22 - Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, MB (Derek Miller, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Cris Derksen, Sonia Eidse) May 23 – The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Nick Sherman) May 24 – Saul Ste. Marie, ON (venue TBA) (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Nick Sherman) May 25 - Debajehmujig Creation Centre, Manitowaning, ON (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair) May 27 – Capitol Centre Theatre, North Bay, ON (Dream Big Conference) (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Derek Miller, Binaeshee-Quae) May 28 – Monarch Tavern, Toronto, ON (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Derek Miller, Christa Couture) May 29 - Six Nations, ON (venue TBA) (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair) May 30 - The Garnet, Peterborough ON (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Sean Conway) June 3 - Club Saw, Ottawa, ON (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair) June 4 - Ashukan Cultural Space, Montreal, QC (Cris Derksen, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Beatrice Dear)

 

The Red Ride Tour Rides Again

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Four years ago, Cris Derksen and Kristi Lane Sinclair toured across Canada and dubbed it the "Red Ride Tour." The "two-er" followed the next year, and now they've established a yearly event - Red Ride 4-Way is crossing Turtle Island next month and picking up lots of other artists on the way.

Electro-cellist Cris Derksen  and acoustic-grunge singersongwriter Kristi Lane Sinclair are long time friends and collaborators. For last year's Red Ride they added the eclectic violinist Laura Ortman to the line-up. This time, they'll be joined by different artists in different cities as they make there way from West to East Coast, including Jasmine Netsena, IskwéGeorge LeachNick Sherman, Jennifer Kreisberg and once again Laura Ortman.

It's practically a touring festival of some of the best Indigenous artists we all know and love. Get started with this Red Ride 4-Way playlist and see all tour dates below.

May 16: Pats Pub, Vancouver, BC  Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair w/ guests

May 17: Kootenay Co-op, Nelson, BC  Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair Jasmine Netsena

May 18: tba, Edmonton, AB  Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 20: Ironwood Stage & Grill, Calgary AB  Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair Iskwe Jasmine Netsena

May 21:Vangelis Tavern, Saskatoon SK  George Leach Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 22 : The Artful Dodger, Regina SK George Leach Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 23: Pony Corral, Winnipeg MB  George Leach Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 24: The Apollo, Thunder Bay ON  Nick Sherman Cris Derksen Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 26: G101 Gallery, Ottawa ON  Cris Derksen Laura Ortman Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 27: Barbeside and Tonic, Peterborough ON Cris Derksen Laura Ortman Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 29: The Great Hall, Toronto ON  Cris Derksen Laura Ortman Kristi Lane Sinclair

May 30: Cafe Aleatoire, Montreal QC  Cris Derksen Laura Ortman Kristi Lane Sinclair

June 1: Cameo Gallery, Brooklyn NY Cris Derksen Laura Ortman Kristi Lane Sinclair Jennifer Kreisberg